Saturday, December 31, 2016

Another postcrossing year ended and it's time to do some maths. When it comes to official cards, this wasn't a good year for me, I've only sent 59 cards and received the same number. I'll definitely try to send more next year.

This official from Czech Republic arrived last October.

CZ-1040362, sent by Lída.

Hrádek u Nechanic is a 19th-century Gothic style Romantic château near the town of Hrádek in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic.

It was built between 1839 and 1857 as a representative and summer seat by Count František Arnošt of Harrach, one of the most important representatives of the Jilemnice dynasty. The young Austrian architect Karl Fischer led building operations and suggested decoration of the chateau's interior. The chateau was designed by the English architect Edward Buckton Lamb. It is referred to as “Little Hluboká” because it resembles to Hluboka Chateau in southern Bohemia. Most of the furniture was made by local artisans. The remainder of the interior was brought from Italy and Austria. Around the same time, L. Krüger converted part of the local forest into a park. In the left part of the park, a reserve and pheasantry were founded. - in: wikipedia

This formerly Greek Catholic church sits on a hill above the village of Hoszów in Bieszczady county in the south-eastern corner of Poland, not far from the Ukrainian border. Dedicated to Saint Nicholas, the current structure is of 20th century origin, though it includes some of the building materials used in an 18th century wooden church which originally stood on this site.

Construction started in 1939, and it was not yet completed when World War Two began. The structure was used by the Germans as an ammunition storage site, and a major explosion occurred which seriously damaged the building. Construction continued after the war, and the church was completed in 1948.

However, by 1951 the building had been abandoned due to pressure from the new Communist Polish government. For the next decade it was used as a barn for keeping sheep in, but in 1971 it was given to the Roman Catholic church who began renovating it.

In 1977 the decaying wooden shingles on the roofs and the dome were replaced with tin roofs since they would last longer and protect the rest of the structure.

This former Greek-Catholic wooden church is found on a small hill in the village of Równia. It features a three-domed architectural style which is very rare on Polish territory, being more typical of Boyko-style churches found further east in Ukraine.

The church is thought to have been built in the early 18th century, and it would later suffer extensive damage during World War Two. Following the war, the Lemko and Boyko inhabitants of the village were accused of aiding the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, which was fighting the Polish government.

They were expelled from the region along with most of the Lemko and Boyko population of south-eastern Poland, and were sent to become new settlers in the recently-claimed former German territories granted to Poland at the end of the war. Thus the village of Równia lost its Greek-Catholic population, and the church was converted for use as a Roman Catholic church when Catholic Poles were resettled in the village.

Olkusz is a town in south Poland. Olkusz is called 'Silver Town" because of the large amount of silver that was found and mined here.

The postcard shows a tower and the remains of the city's wall.

Foto: M. Habinka

In the 14th century Olkusz was surrounded by walls. The builder (or actually the funder of the walls as the money for their building came from the royal treasury) was Casimir the Great. The total length of the Olkusz wall was about 1100 metres (320 metres long and 225 metres wide) and it surrounded 7 hectares of the town. The thickness of both walls and towers was about 2 meters. The original fortifications had about 15 towers and 2 or even 3 gates.

Monday, December 26, 2016

From the south to the north of Poland with another nice castle. This time I'm sure I don't have any other cards of this castle.

Fot. A. Stachurski

Reszel Castle was built in between 1350-1401 by the Bishop of Warmia, Jan of Miśnia, however the castle's first occupiers where the Teutonic Knights.

After the first partition of Poland in 1772 the castle was taken over by Prussian authorities, who converted it into prison in 1795. In 1806 and 1807 the town and castle were afflicted by great fires. The first one destroyed wooden buildings of the town, the town hall and part of the castle. The other completely devastated the castle. In 1822 the castle was handed over to the evangelical commune. After the repair works the castle lost its medieval characte – the cloisters were pulled down and the south wing was converted into an evangelical church (hence its present gable).

When I chose the 1st card from Andrzej albuns, I thought I still didn't have a card of that castle. I've just realized I was wrong. 5 years ago Monika sent me a nice card of the Dunajec Castle, also known as Niedzica Castle.

This castle is one of the 13 medieval castles (some of which do not exist any longer), built in southern Lesser Poland, along the Dunajec river.

Niedzica Castle also known as Dunajec Castle, is located in the southernmost part of Poland in Niedzica (Nowy Targ County in Lesser Poland). It was erected between the years 1320 and 1326 by Kokos of Brezovica on the site of an ancient stronghold surrounded by earthen walls in the Pieniny mountains.

The Niedzica Castle stands at an altitude of 566 m, on a hill 300 m upstream from the Dunajec River mouth, measured from the center of the dam on Lake Czorsztyn. The outline of Niedzica Castle can best be viewed from the ruins of Czorsztyn Castle on the other side of the lake. It is known as one of the most picturesque castles in the country and adorns the covers of many books. - in: wikipedia

This may not look like a castle but it really is one, Dublin Castle, or better said, one of the courtyards of Dublin Castle. Anyway, the castle of the irish capital city, is not a traditional castle but rather a big fort built by the Anglo-Normans in the 13th century and that over the centuries has undergone some changes.

I've bought a copy of this card the last time I've been to Dublin but this one was sent by Cristina last October.

The castle has served countless purposes since its construction: It was once a military fort, a prison, housed the national treasury, it was a court of law and for 700 years, until 1922, was the seat of the United Kingdom government's administration in Ireland, and is now a major Irish government complex.

The Bedford Tower, built in 1761, is the centerpiece of the Upper Courtyard. It was from there that the Jewels of the Irish Crown were stolen in 1907. The jewels have never been recovered.

Hadrian's Wall was built, beginning in 122, to keep Roman Britain safe from hostile attacks from the Picts. It was the northernmost boundary of the Roman empire until early in the fifth century.

The wall, stretching from the North Sea to the Irish Sea (from the Tyne to the Solway), was 80 Roman miles (about 73 modern miles) long, 8-10 feet wide, and 15 feet high. In addition to the wall, the Romans built a system of small forts called milecastles (housing garrisons of up to 60 men) every Roman mile along its entire length, with towers every 1/3 mile.

Sixteen larger forts holding from 500 to 1000 troops were built into the wall, with large gates on the north face. To the south of the wall the Romans dug a wide ditch, (vallum), with six foot high earth banks.

On the back of the card: With their scarlet capes standing out against the drab greyness of a snowy winter's day, soldiers of the Life Guard, a regiment of the Household Cavalry, rides across House Guards Parade on their way to the Changing of the Guard Cerimony.

JP-879698, sent by Aya.

The Life Guards (LG) is the senior regiment of the British Army and part of the Household Cavalry, along with the Blues and Royals.

The Life Guards grew from the four troops of Horse Guards (exclusively formed of gentlemen-troopers until the transformation of the last two remaining troops into Regiments of Life Guards in 1788) raised by Charles II around the time of his restoration, plus two troops of Horse Grenadier Guards (rank and file composed of commoners), which were raised some years later. - in: wikipedia

Texel is a municipality and an island with a population of 13,641 in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands. It is the largest and most populated island of the West Frisian Islands in the Wadden Sea.

NL-3606260, sent by Joyce.

The dune landscape on Texel is a unique habitat for wildlife. Notable areas include De Slufter, where the tide comes in and meets the dunes, forming a marshy environment rich in both fauna and flora. Texel is known for its wildlife, particularly in winter, when birds of prey and geese take up residence. About one third of Texel is a protected nature reserve. - in: wikipedia

Monday, December 19, 2016

Another german lighthouse card, this one from Borkum, an island northwestern Germany. It is the largest and westernmost of the East Frisian Islands in the North Sea.

The card is a RAS from Claus.

www.borkum-urlaub.de

Borkum Großer Light, also known as Borkum Neuer Light, is an active lighthouse on the island of Borkum. At a height of 197 feet (60 m) it is the twenty-fourth tallest "traditional lighthouse" in the world, as well as the third tallest brick lighthouse in the world. The lighthouse is located at the west side of the Borkum island. It is the landfall light for the Ems estuary and the port of Emden, serving also as a day mark.

This lighthouse also bares a directional continuous light at a height of 151 feet (46 m) to three different directions with the colors white, red and green.

The tower was built in the summer of 1879 in a record time of six months, following a fire at the old lighthouse. - in: wikipedia

Westerhever lighthouse is located at the northwestern corner of the Eiderstedt peninsula, in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. The lighthouse is a major landmark on the peninsula which is surrounded by salt marshes.

www.postcards-for-postcrossing.com

DE-5653953, sent by Butz

It was built in 1908 and is still active. The round cast iron tower is 40 m (131 ft) high, with lantern and double gallery, mounted on a 1-story concrete base and flanked to either side by two 1-1/2 story keeper's cottages. Lighthouse painted with red and white horizontal bands; lantern, watch room, and galleries painted black.

This beautiful tower is one of the best-known lighthouses of the German North Sea coast. It is such a popular site for weddings that one of the keeper's cottages is a registrar's office; the other is a national park office. - in:http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/lighthouse/deu2b.htm

Sunday, December 18, 2016

The Ore Mountains, Erzgebirge in german, formed a natural border between Saxony and Bohemia for around 800 years, from the 12th to the 20th centuries. Today, the border between Germany and the Czech Republic runs just north of the main crest of the mountain range.

Skiing in its Alpine form is a very expensive holiday. Skiing in its east German form is quite a different story, for the ski resorts in the Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge) in Saxony and in Thuringia are amongst the cheapest in Europe, and certainly the best value in Germany.

I have several trips planned for Germany and Bamberg is in one of the routes I have already traced. The 1st reason is because it is a UNESCO site and in addition, its historical center looks pretty beautiful and interesting. In this postcard sent by Andrzej there's an area known as Little Venice.

The former fishermen's district in Bamberg's Island City is endearingly known as Little Venice. This district is characterised by half-timbered buildings that prop each other up and by tiny, pretty gardens.

The half-timbered buildings were mainly built in the Middle Ages. They are squashed together along the riverbank, creating a quaint and picturesque scene, with boats floating in the moorings by the front gardens. The river cruise takes you directly past this unique line of houses. - in:http://en.bamberg.info/poi/little_venice-4650/

The Reichstag building was completed in 1894 following German national unity and the establishment of the German Reich in 1871.

The Reichstag suffered damage and destruction over the course of the 20th century. On 27 February 1933 under mysterious circumstances that still have yet to be explained, the Reichstag caught on fire, destroying the chamber and the dome. The building, having never been fully repaired since the fire, was further damaged by air raids. During the Battle of Berlin in 1945, it became one of the central targets for the Red Army to capture due to its perceived symbolic significance.

After being destroyed in the war, it was rebuilt between 1961 and 1971 in a simplified form without the dome, which was blown up in 1945, according to plans by Paul Baumgarten. After German reunification, the German Bundestag decided to use the building as a seat of Parliament again.

Between 1994 and 1999, the Reichstag was redesigned and expanded by the British architect Sir Norman Foster as a modern Parliament building while retaining its extensive, historical dimensions. The accessible glass dome, which initially generated a lot of controversy, has since become one of the landmarks of Berlin. Since 1999, the German Bundestag has been convening in the Reichstag building. - in:http://www.visitberlin.de/en/spot/reichstag

Luzia has recently been to Europe, not to Portugal though. I met her last september in Brazil and I'd love to meet her again.
Anyway, she has been to Berlin and she sent me this view of Tauentzienstraße toward Breitscheidplatz and Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.
I don't remember when and who sent me the second card.

The strange and very modern looking sculpture in the front is called Berlin. It was conceived in 1985 and unveiled by the husband-and-wife sculpting team of Brigitte Matschinsky-Denninghoff and Martin Matschinsky in 1987, the sculpture's principal motif, a "broken chain", was meant to symbolize the severed connections between West and East Berlin due to the construction of the Berlin Wall.

Even though the Wall has since been dismantled, the sculpture was bought by the city from Mrs. Matschinsky-Denninghoff to commemorate the unfortunate chapter in German history. - in: wikipedia

Friday, December 16, 2016

My spanish postcard pal and penpal have recently been to Austria. Gemma visited Salzburg and Ara traveled to Vienna and sent me the 1st of these cards. The 2nd card was sent 9 years ago by Sybille.

St. Stephen's Cathedral is the symbol of Vienna. Construction commenced in the 12th century. Today, it is one of the most important Gothic structures in Austria.

smile Gmbh, Wien

St. Stephen's Cathedral is 107.2 meters long and 34.2 meters wide. It has four towers. The tallest of these is the south tower at 136.44 meters. The tower room, from which there is a gigantic view across Vienna, is reached via 343 steps. A total of 13 bells hang here. However, the best-known bell of St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Pummerin, is located in the 68.3 meter-tall north tower. It is the second-biggest free-swinging chimed church bell in Europe. On the roof of St. Stephen's Cathedral, colorful roof tiles were laid to create the Royal and Imperial double-headed eagle and the coat of arms of the city of Vienna. The interior of St. Stephen's Cathedral was changed again and again over the centuries, right through to the Baroque period.

In addition to valuable altars and side chapels, the impressive cathedral treasure can also be seen, including relics decorated with gold and precious stones, monstrances, liturgical texts and books as well as vestments. Numerous important people were also given their final resting place in St. Stephen's Cathedral: Emperor Friedrich III. was buried in an impressive marble sarcophagus. The tomb’s cover slab alone weighs eight tonnes. Prince Eugene of Savoy has his final resting place in a private chapel. And famous names buried in the catacombs of St. Stephen's Cathedral include the Habsburg duke Rudolph IV. “the founder", who laid the foundation stone for the Gothic reconstruction of the cathedral in 1359. In addition, the graves of Vienna’s cardinals and archbishops can be found in the catacombs. - in:https://www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/sights/st-stephens-cathedral

Thursday, December 15, 2016

These are my 3 and only cards from San Marino. They were sent by Daniel, Alessandro and Andrzej.

Of the world's 196 independent countries, San Marino is the fifth smallest and – arguably – the most curious. How it exists at all is something of an enigma. A sole survivor of Italy's once powerful city-state network, this landlocked micronation clung on long after the more powerful kingdoms of Genoa and Venice folded. And still it clings, secure in its status as the world's oldest surviving sovereign state and its oldest republic (since AD 301). San Marino also enjoys one of the planet's highest per capita GDPs.

Measuring 61 sq km, the country is larger than many outsiders imagine, being made up of nine municipalities each hosting its own settlement. The largest 'town' is Dogana, a place 99.9% of the two million annual visitors skip on their way through to the Città di San Marino, the medieval settlement on the slopes of 750m-high Monte Titano that was added to the Unesco World Heritage list in 2008. - in: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/emilia-romagna-and-san-marino/san-marino/introduction

lito87 sas

San Marino Historic Centre and Mount Titano covers 55 ha, including Mount Titano and the historic centre of the city which dates back to the foundation of the republic as a city-state in the 13th century. San Marino is inscribed as a testimony to the continuity of a free republic since the Middle Ages. The inscribed city centre includes fortification towers, walls, gates and bastions, as well as a neo-classical basilica of the 19th century, 14th and 16th century convents, and the Palazzo Publico of the 19th century, as well as the 18th century Titano Theatre. The property represents an historical centre still inhabited and preserving all its institutional functions. Thanks to its position on top of Mount Titano, it was not affected by the urban transformations that have occurred from the advent of the industrial era to today. - in:http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1245

Ed. International Souvenir

The Basilica of the Saint was designed and built, starting in 1826, by Antonio Serra, an architect from Bologna, on the grounds of the ancient Church of the 5th century, which was demolished to make place for the new Basilica.

A grave loss for the history of art, in fact it has been erased an early Christian monument of pre-Romanesque style.

The Basilica is the main religious building in the Country since it conserves the relics of the Founder of the community of San Marino – St. Marino.

The Basilica, consecrated in 1855, has a neo-classic style with a portico of Corinthian columns. The massive bell tower, originally in Romanic style, was rebuilt in the 1600’s.

Internally, the Basilica has three aisles and seven altars. The throne of the Regents, dating to the 1600’s, is situated to the left of the main altar; under the alter a small urn contains the bones of St. Marino; on the right, a marble monument houses a shrine which contains the top of the Saint’s skull. - in:http://www.sanmarinosite.com/en/things-to-see/monuments/basilica-of-saint/

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

These are Asinelli and Garisenda Towers, the landmark of Bologna. There about 20 towers in the city but the number used to be much more higher. Between the 12th and the 13th century, the number of towers in the city was possibly up to 180. However throughtout the centuries many towers were taken down or demolished, and others simply collapsed.

The two towers Garisenda and Asinelli are the traditional symbol of Bologna, strategically standing where the old Aemilian way entered the town. Today they stand right in the middle of Porta Ravegnana square, but this does not correspond to their original layout, which included wooden buildings all around their base and hanging passageways.

Made in masonry work, as very few other buildings at that time, they had very important military functions (signalling and defence), beside representing with their imposing heights the social prestige of the noble families that owned them. Quite recently, the statue of San Petronio made by Gabriele Brunelli in 1670, has been placed back under the towers, after being removed in 1871 for "traffic reasons".

The Asinelli Tower was built between 1109 - 19 by the Asinelli family, and in the following century it was acquired by the Municipality of Bologna. It is 97.20 metres high with a drop of 2.23 metres and an inner staircase of 498 steps completed in 1684.